


Shifted

by sydneythefriendlyghost



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Homophobia, I promise, M/M, MAGIC AUS, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, except lamer bc they dont save the world, ill tag more later, like superheros, not furries, not furries or abo jfc no theyre just shapeshifters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-06-05 18:46:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6716785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sydneythefriendlyghost/pseuds/sydneythefriendlyghost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone who isn't human is required to be registered and identifiable. Completely otherworldly beings aside, shapeshifters are frowned upon for straddling the line of human and not. But even shifters with domestic claims look down on those with any wild animal blood at all.</p><p>Or, in which Mark is a deer shifter who would really appreciate being left alone by his friends, Jackson loses his tags at the exact wrong moment, and everyone else wants them to just kiss already.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Jackson saw the deer unexpectedly, when he wasn’t even looking for it. But it did make him freeze in his tracks just a few feet away. Even if he wasn’t exactly seeking food, it wouldn’t be totally unwelcome. And said food was  _ right there  _ anyway, even if he wasn’t sure he could take down a whole deer on his own.

 

Mark felt totally at peace, surrounded by trees and grass. It was early fall, so the sounds of the forest around him were softened by the light breeze. Occasional patches of sun filtered through the trees, but for the most part it was secluded in cool darkness. There was a small snapping sound from behind him that made his blood run cold.

 

Jackson wasn’t at the top of his game, sure, but he didn’t think he’d been so loud when the deer turned around and looked directly at him. He tried to move closer, or do anything resembling an attack. What completely struck him was the look in its eyes, a strangely human intelligence that he’d never seen before. Not to mention the long, pale scar running along its neck.

 

Mark took advantage of the fact that the wolf wasn’t moving, even if it was terrifyingly close to him. He waited just a few seconds before breaking out in a run, hoping and praying that the wolf didn’t follow him. After hearing no second set of steps behind him for a good while, he slowed down with relief.

 

Jackson couldn’t place why he hadn’t attacked or run after the running deer. Something in him kept him stuck to the spot, and he couldn’t place why it made him so uncomfortable. He stretched and turned around to head back, remembering his obligation to have lunch with Jinyoung. Even then, the thought of the deer didn’t leave him.


	2. Fall, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark is a little tiny bit put on the spot.

Mark shifted in his seat and pulled his beanie down over his hair again, scanning the far doors of the restaurant for his friend. Jinyoung being habitually late was one thing when it was just the two of them. However, leaving him with two strangers in a cafe he’d never been to was significantly worse than leaving him to drink alone for half an hour. He took the opportunity to more closely examine the two across from him.

The one seated closer to him was small and slight, with sharp cheekbones and a jawline to cut glass. His hair was a strange red color, maroon maybe, matching his lipgloss. None of the clothes he was wearing seemed to match, but he got the feeling that maybe that was the point. Overall, he seemed flamboyantly fashionable and completely immersed in his phone.

The second boy, sitting next to his friend, was taller and buried under a mound of sweaters, scarves, and what might have been a blanket. He was softer than the other, with fluffy dark brown hair and a constant small smile. His eyes flitted nervously from Mark to the door, giving him the impression that he was fairly anxious about Jinyoung’s arrival too. Under his right eye there was a small, pocked scar. It stood out on his face because everything else about him was rounded edges and gently inconspicuous clothes.

Mark went back to watching the other people in the cafe blankly, fiddling with the small metal dog tag he wore around his neck. In a repetitive pattern he ran his thumb over the embossed letters spelling out his name, and in smaller grooves, “Cervidae”. He usually wore it under his shirt so no one would see it, the embarrassment of being a non-domestic shifter being well impressed into his memory. Some people were less prying and didn’t care what types of shifters and beings they were surrounded with. Sadly, the registration he was required to wear showed that not everyone had reached that point.

Jinyoung slammed the door of the cafe open with one arm, making Mark jump two feet in the air from his seat across the room. He’d been so lost in his reverie that he was deeply startled. The red head seemed fairly jumpy too, but the soft boy just smiled like he already knew who it was. His friend’s other hand, the one not being used to forcibly rupture Mark’s eardrums with the door, was clamped in a vicegrip on someone’s arm. That someone was short, with well bleached white hair and an angry pout. He probably wasn’t thrilled to be manhandled by Jinyoung. Most people weren’t.

Mark sighed in relief when Jinyoung pulled out a chair next to him and flopped down in it, pushing the stranger towards the chair across from him. He sounded out of breath as he tried to speak.

“Sorry I’m late. Jackson-” He shot a glare towards the blond and then turned back to Mark. “-wouldn’t get out of bed. All I ask is some basic  _ human _ decency and maybe a sandwich. I mean-” Jinyoung even managed to interrupt himself, getting distracted when a waiter walked by. Mark raised an eyebrow as his friend’s eyes followed the waiter’s ass until he was back in the kitchen. The soft boy hid a laugh behind his hand, and the blond wiggled his eyebrows sleazily. 

“ _ Anyway. _ ” The soft one cleared his throat and Jinyoung snapped out of his stare.

“Right! Anyway! Introduce yourselves! Mark, you should make more friends.” Mark glared at him and felt his cheeks heating up but he just shrugged instead of saying anything. The fashionable boy caught on first and stuck out his hand across the table.

“Hi, sorry, I’m Bambam.” He shook his hand gently before pulling it away to settle back in his lap. Bambam sat back in his seat as well and nodded to the brunette who stuck out his hand to shake as well.

“I’m Youngjae! It’s nice to meet you! I like your hat.” Mark brought one hand up to feel which hat he was wearing before smiling softly. Youngjae seemed so genuine in the compliment that all he could do was murmur a small “Thanks.” under his breath. Jinyoung nodded approvingly, obviously pleased by his oldest friend getting some human interaction. By then, the blond’s attention had drifted to his phone and Jinyoung slapped him on the arm with a sigh. He started briefly, and looked up.

“Yeah. What? Oh yeah sorry. Uh, Jackson.” Mark stopped for a split second to look him over. He wore a tank top and jeans, despite the slightly cold breeze outside. And they were tight, too, probably to show off the fact that he was fairly well built. He had several small studs in his ears, and five or six small bracelets in a silver metal. His right hand was covered in a few large rings as well. He had large eyes that sparkled like he knew a joke that you didn’t and a grin that took up at least half his face. Mark thought he looked pretty annoying, if he was speaking honestly.

“Mark.” He shook the guy’s hand and then dropped it, not even trying to hide the fact that he thought he was obnoxious. Jackson didn’t seem to notice though, and with the return of Jinyoung’s  _ favorite _ waiter, it was forgotten again.

“Hey Jaebum!” Jinyoung waved him over with a bright smile and his friend’s watched in curiosity. The waiter was definitely stunningly attractive, and he wore a small dog tag around his neck hinting that he was definitely  _ Jinyoung’s type _ . Jinyoung’s type being dog shifters. Mark tried not to comment on how kinky that sounded when you said it out loud.

“Ah, Jinyoungie. Are these your friends? And here I was, thinking you didn’t have any.”

If the vaguely pleased smirk that the two shared was anything to go by, he’d put his money on a new-but-playful-flirtation. Bambam sighed and pushed his head between their gazes, smiling at Jaebum and blinking. He snapped out of his daze quickly and returned to the real world.

“Right, yes, I’d like coffee. Black. That’s it for me. Youngjae?” He turned to his friend and nodded at the waiter with a small, shy gaze. Jaebum’s cheeks spread with a soft blush that everyone made a point to pretend not to notice.

“I’ll have the same.” His voice was gentle and he passed the expectant gaze to Jackson. The blonde smirked and shook his head.

“I’m alright for now. I’ll steal from Jinyoung.” Even if it provoked a gurgling noise of anger from the younger’s throat, Mark thought Jaebum did a pretty good job of holding in his laughter with the rest of them.

“And you?” Jinyoung nudged him from the side to get out of his head and give his order. He shook his bangs out and carded a hand through them nervously.

“Just roses.” He said in a small voice, more worried about what that implied about him than his actual hunger. To his surprise and the other’s credit, no one actually said anything. Jackson raised his eyebrows and Jinyoung nodded in agreement, smiling at Jaebum to clear the tension.

“And of course you know what I want right?” His sparkling eyes might have been an indication.

“I’ll be right back then. Don’t bore your poor friends. I’m sure they want to hear all the gossip you’ve collected today Jinyoungie.”

 

Jaebum was right when it came to Jinyoung. He never spared anything. So naturally, the moment the food arrived he demanded that Mark take his hat off and ‘show them’. Much to his dismay, his best friend was not immediately thrilled about telling his life story to a bunch of strangers.

Jackson watched them bicker for a few minutes and giggled, nudging Bambam with his foot.

“Have you ever seen Jinyoung like this before? He’s totally going after this guy.” Bambam nodded solemnly and tilted their heads closer so they could talk quietly at the same table.

“According to Jinyoung, he went to highschool with him. If they’ve been friends that long it’s no wonder he won’t let it go.” Jackson couldn’t really argue with that logic. Just as he was about to reply Jinyoung slammed his fist down on the table, rattling the glasses.

“Yes! I win!” Mark was frowning deeply but his friend took no notice as he ripped his beanie off without further ado. The oldest sunk lower into his chair like he was asking the floor to swallow him as quickly as possible. “Feel his head!” Youngjae raised an eyebrow and made no move to do that whatsoever.

“Um. Why?” Jinyoung clapped his hands excitedly and used one elbow to push Mark until his head was lowered and within reach of the others sitting across the table. Jackson saw something that made him reach forward and, against his better judgement, actually pet his acquaintance's head. His fingers threaded through the soft hair until they ran over a small bump, which he inferred was the source of Jinyoung’s excitement.

“Antlers!” Jinyoung whisper-yelled to the table, even though Mark was blushing so hard he looked a little sick. Jackson rubbed his fingers over the spot again, causing him to jump in his seat a little and shift away. The blonde retracted his hand shyly and tried to look encouraging. He’d met another deer shifter, a friend from high school, who had had small antlers when he’d gone through puberty. According to him it was an excess of hormones that made them remain, even when not shifted. But for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why someone obviously in his twenties would still have them.

“Jinyoung, I hate you.” The shifter mumbled and covered his face. “I just met these people. Stop making me show random strangers.” Youngjae tried to ease the awkwardness with a nervous laugh and Bambam giggled behind his hand.

“They aren’t strangers. They’re my friends. Don’t be rude.” 

It was not known if the muttered “You’re the rude one” on Mark’s part was the reason Jinyoung gasped. He clutched his chest in such shock that Jaebum came rushing over again, effectively distracting everyone from a very uncomfortable silence.

 

“Have I mentioned that Park Jinyoung is a  _ monster _ ?” Mark grumbled as he stretched next to Yugyeom, making it a point to keep his hat on even if it was hot.

“Uh, a few times. It was really that bad?” The younger said as he reached down to touch his toes and felt his back pop.

“It was. ‘Show them!’, like that’s not a personal thing to share with someone you just met.” He waved his hands angrily and double checked his shoelaces. “Alright. Just around the lake and back.” Yugyeom gave him a bright grin and nodded. 

“You’re so on.” He took off immediately, giving himself a good head start over Mark. The older jumped into action and ran after him, delighting in the feeling of the air rushing past his face. His feet pounded the gravel path as he easily caught up and then passed his competition. If he whispered ‘asshole’ in Yugyeom’s ear as he went by then the younger didn’t react. 

It was a game they always played when it came to racing. Depending on the day, route, and drive of the players, the outcome could differ. It was all about pitting Mark’s speed against the horse shifter’s endurance. As usual, Mark managed to stay a good ways ahead of the other until the end. When his energy started to wane, Yugyeom finally put on the speed and surged ahead to pass by the trail marker first.

He slowed to a stop as he caught up, breathing heavily but by no means too tired to continue.

“It just takes some time. Jinyoung will come around. Besides, I thought you’d be excited. it’s a big deal right?”  Mark put his hands on his knees as he mused about their friend’s attitude.

“I am excited. But outing me to everyone is not what I was hoping for.” Yugyeom patted him consolingly on the shoulder.

“I’m sure no one knows what it means anyway. They probably didn’t have any idea.” Mark nodded as he rolled his shoulders and let out a sigh.

“Whatever.”


	3. Fall; Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Look, I'm not lying, I can't stand the guy! He can't even take a hint!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!! oof it feels like its been years since i updated.... anyways ive had a crazy time lately! i actually got to meet got7 a few days ago which is what helped to motivate me to finally finish this chapter( before you ask, yes, they were all super sweet god bless) please leave a comment if you like it and kudos are ultra appreciated! see yall on the other side!

Mark was prone to aimless wandering around the mall when he was bored, accompanied or not. On days where it was the latter, sitting in the food court on his laptop and studying was usually where life found him. Eating and reading pages of boring history text for hours on end wasn’t entirely boring. He was mid sentence on an extremely overdue essay that his professor had given him numerous extensions on. It seemed no matter how many times he sat down to peck it out, his mind went blank and he ended up on the internet in some blackhole of clickbait or various social medias. His hand reached out to add a couple edits when someone spoke over his shoulder and scared him out of his chair.

“Maybe try ‘purpose’ instead of ‘reason’. It makes you sound like you care.” A loud but gentle voice murmured right beside his ear. He gasped and jumped, turning around and nearly knocking heads with the man standing right behind him.

“Jesus christ what the fuck who are you?” Mark gasped, cramming it all into one short breath of a sentence. The other straightened up and shook out his hair in an utterly fuckboy way.

“Jackson? We met the other day? I don’t make a point of creeping up on strangers and helping people with their homework, that’s just for my friends.” He frowned and readjusted his backpack strap on his shoulder, eyeing the open seat across the table. “Do you mind if I sit with you?” Mark furiously backpedaled and shook his head as if to clear up his mind somehow.

“Wait wait wait- hold up, we’re friends?” It came out in a sarcastic drawl. Jackson pouted and looked vaguely uncomfortable, like Mark had hit a bad spot.

“Uh..Sorry I just thought...Sorry.” He said barely audibly and his eyes looked slightly watery, guilt tripping Mark without even meaning to. “Anyway enjoy your lunch I uh, I have to meet uhm, Bambam. Later. Now-ish. So.” He turned away stiffly but the older reached out and caught his wrist between two fingers.

“Hey wait. You can uh, you can sit.” Words were never his forte but he hoped that Jackson got the message. But he continued to turn away from him waving his hand and mumbling to himself more than to Mark.

“Don’t wanna be an inconvenience, g’luck with your essay or something.” The sudden shyness threw him off a bit so he blurted out the first thing he could think of.

“I need help! With my uh…….” He struggled to think of anything Jackson could help him with. “Mandarin homework?” He mentally punched himself for picking something he did not need any help with  _ at all _ but it had already left his mouth by the time he realized what a terrible idea that was. The younger turned back around, still averting his eyes like a puppy that’d been yelled at for chewing up a shoe. 

“I don’t want to bother you….” He still seemed uncertain and embarrassed by his faux pas in referring to them as friends.

“You aren’t bothering me. And the help would be appreciated. Look, I’ll buy you coffee if you could explain some stuff with this essay too.” Mark motioned to the empty seat with his free hand. Jackson swayed side to side and bit his lip as he thought, finally sinking into the chair across the table.

“What did you need help with?”

 

Somehow, once Jackson actually started to talk comfortably again, he seemed more energetic than ever. The boy was all smiles and laughter so loud the people eating around them stared openly. At first it intimidated Mark, especially the way he drew attention to him like a magnet. But it was endearing, and it created an immediate sense of friendship. Over the course of a few hours of Jackson teaching him things about a language he was fluent in, it began to occur to him that maybe that was really just how friendly and open of a person Jackson was. He hadn’t meant to intrude or infringe by assuming they were friends after one meeting- he was genuinely attached to people he had just met. 

His smile still annoyed the hell out of Mark. Every inch of him screamed fuckboy, and it was gross and obnoxious. His personality did soften the blow though, and Mark continuously found himself spacing out staring into his eyes. 

_ I hate him. He’s so annoying. What an asshole.  _ He repeated his little mantra up until Jinyoung so unceremoniously interrupted them.

“Jackson! Mark! Hey!” He smiled charismatically and pulled another chair over. Youngjae trailed in the background, resolving to stay standing and hovering over Jinyoung’s shoulder. Not so inconspicuously, the youngest rested a hand on Jinyoung’s shoulder that spoke of possession when no one said anything.

“Jinyoungie?” Mark muttered, frowning at his entrance. Of course he was prone to think the worst, that being that Mark and Jackson actually  _ liked  _ each other. 

“What’re you two up to? Having fun without us?” Youngjae’s hand drifted to the back of Jinyoung’s neck, in a strangely intimate gesture while he smiled warmly at them.

“No he was just-” Mark said.

“I was just-” Jackson said.

“Helping with some homework.” They said, but in a painful unison. Jinyoung’s grin widened almost imperceptibly and Mark knew he was thinking exactly the wrong thing.

“Hey, Bambam’s looking for you by Macy’s. Says you’re late I think.” When he motioned to Jackson, the older checked his watch and let out a small noise.

“Oh my god I am. I didn’t even notice, thanks Jinyoung.” He messily shoved everything into his backpack as fast as he could and smiled weakly at Mark. Various papers and pieces of trash made crinkling sounds and he briefly wondered if he meant to never clean it out or was a messy kind of person. “Hope I helped! See you around! Hey Youngjae, wanna come?” The youngest nodded and parted from Jinyoung to follow Jackson as he half ran around the corner. 

The literal moment that Mark and Jinyoung were left alone, he pounced.

“Soooo….. Jackson huh?” He rolled his eyes so hard that he was certain Jinyoung could  _ hear _ them. But the curiosity continued to roll off Jinyoung in waves.

“So what? We just ran into each other. And I’m still mad at you. “ Mark pouted and turned away to shuffle his laptop and notebooks into his bag. Even though he was pointedly ignoring him, Jinyoung pushed his way through.

“You ‘just ran into eachother’. That sounds totally believable. You can’t lie to  _ me _ .” That ended up being the final straw for the oldest. He slammed his bag on the table with a sharp thud and growled.

“Jesus I’m not lying, I can’t stand the guy okay? He can’t even take a hint.” Jinyoung’s eyes went wide and he jumped out of his seat, pupils shifting to small slits out of surprise. The cat shifter glanced nervously from his friend and then to a spot behind him. Mark followed his line of sight to where Jackson, Youngjae, and Bambam stood a few feet back.  _ Fuck. _

**Author's Note:**

> leave a comment if you liked it! comments are what keep me writing :')
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> (ps i love your face)


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